Quarantine
by Whispering-Willow08
Summary: When Sasuke is found unconscious and sick outside of the village, only Sakura is brave enough to step in and take care of him as he battles the illness and fights to stay alive.
1. Chapter 1

Quarantine

The pager in Sakura's lab coat pocket buzzed urgently and she pulled it out to view the message flashing on the small screen: _Quarantine – Floor 3._ She raised a questioning brow at this alert. She had never heard of a quarantine being put into place at the hospital. Every once in a while, someone was sick enough to require isolation, but no one had ever been placed under quarantine. She glanced up as Ino, carrying stacks of lab work, walked by and waved her over.

"Did you see this?" Sakura asked, showing her friend the message.

Ino frowned. "Yeah, I saw it." Worry lines creased her forehead and she held the lab work close to her chest.

"I wonder what caused it," Sakura wondered, more to herself than to Ino. She didn't notice as Ino bit her lip and glanced down at her papers.

"Sakura," she started, "I think you're going to be more concerned with _who_ caused it."

She looked up, suddenly on high alert. "What do you mean? Who is it?" She finally noticed the stacks of papers of papers Ino was holding onto tightly. "Whose labs are those?"

Ino chewed her lower lip thoughtfully, unable to meet her friend's gaze. Finally, she let out a long sigh. "It's Sasuke."

Sakura's eyes widened in shock. "What happened to him? How did he get here? When he last checked in, he was in the Land of Rivers. That was only a week ago!"

Ino held up a hand to quiet her friend. "Sakura, listen," she reached out and placed a firm hand on her shoulder, "I don't know all the details. About an hour ago, a couple of ANBU found Sasuke unconscious just off the path heading for Konoha. He wasn't moving and had a really high fever. Obviously, they brought him here, but no one is sure what's wrong with him just yet. They put him under quarantine just to be safe."

Sakura shook her head in disbelief. "I'm going to see him. Is he still unconscious?"

"Sakura, he's under quarantine. Whatever he has, it could be really contagious," Ino warned. "Tsunade is the only one who's gone in to see him so far, and it was only to draw blood and give him an IV. She even wore full biohazard gear to do it."

"I don't care." She motioned to the stack of papers. "Are those his lab results?"

"I haven't taken the labs down yet," Ino told her. "I'm doing that right now."

"Put a rush on them," Sakura instructed and before Ino could protest further, she brushed past the blonde and headed for the stairs.

The third floor was reserved for critically sick or injured patients. With the new peaceful era upon them, it was almost empty most of the time. The quarantined space was at the very end of the hallway. It was a large room with several curtains for privacy, set up to accommodate several patients at once. In order to enter the room, one had to go through a rigorous hand washing procedure, and hazmat suits were generally required. Tsunade stood at the large glass window that provided a full view of the room with a frown.

Sakura rushed up to Tsunade's side and the former hokage gave her a slight nod. "I was wondering when you'd hear about this."

"How bad is it?" she asked breathlessly. She was almost too afraid to look through the window. Sasuke was never one to succumb to illness. Even in their genin days, he somehow always avoided whatever cold or flu was being passed around.

"We don't know anything yet," Tsunade admitted, knowing nothing she could say would help her student.

"Sasuke," Sakura whispered and dared cast a glance through the window. He lay against the pure white pillow; eyes closed, and sweat coating his forehead. He was more pale than usual, and his cheeks appeared to be sunken. She clenched her jaw and turned to Tsunade. "Have you examined him?"

She shook her head. "I only drew blood for testing and gave him the IV to keep him hydrated. Until we know what's caused this, no one goes in. Understood?"

"What about the ANBU who found him?" Sakura asked. Although she had never dealt with a real quarantine, she knew from training that the protocol was for anyone exposed without proper precautionary gear was to be placed under quarantine was well.

Tsunade shook her head. "Damn fools. They were leaving for the village on a mission when they found him. They dropped him off and ran out. I've sent a couple of men after them to try to get them back here."

Sakura sighed. The ANBU could be so cocky sometimes; she wasn't really surprised that they would do something like that. She turned her attention back to Sasuke, concerned by his stillness. She squinted slightly, wondering if she was imagining the slight tinge of yellow against his pale skin.

"Tsunade," Sakura said cautiously, "the last time Sasuke checked in, he was in the Land of Rivers. Do you know exactly which part?"

She shook her head. "You know how vague he is when – _if_ – he decides to check in with us. Why do you ask?"

"Well…" She hesitated, crossing her arms tightly over her chest. "I was reading about an outbreak of yellow fever in the east portion of the country. The mosquitoes there are running rampant and the disease sparked up so quickly they don't have enough hospital space to manage the patients. I wonder if…"

Tsunade frowned. "It could be, but we won't know until we get his blood work back. If that's the case…" She trailed off. She didn't have to tell Sakura that yellow fever came with a relatively high mortality rate.

"We don't have to wait," Sakura protested. "If we check his eyes, we can tell. If he's still in the acute stage of the disease, we can help him."

"Even if he is in the acute stage, there's not much I can do, medically speaking," Tsunade reminded her. "And if he's entering the toxic phase-."

"I'm going in there," Sakura interrupted, reaching for the door. "If I just check his eyes, I can determine the severity."

"Sakura, you are not going in there," Tsunade warned, her tone low and threatening. "The last thing we need in this village is an outbreak of a disease that has no real cure. Stay out and wait for the lab results."

Sakura narrowed her eyes at her teacher. "You're really not going to help him? You're a doctor, damn it! We both are! This is our job."

"I didn't say I wasn't going to help him," Tsunade said. "But yellow fever is incredibly dangerous, especially to someone my age. I took full precaution when I went in there, and I'm not going to risk exposing myself again until we know what we're dealing with. You will not go in there until the lab results come back, understood?"

Sakura's hand clenched the doorknob as she stared her teacher down. She was shocked to hear these words coming out of her brave teacher's mouth. However, she had to remind herself that Tsunade never dealt much with infectious diseases. Her focus was more on battlefield injuries, and while Sakura's was as well, she wasn't about to leave a patient untreated, especially when that patient was Sasuke.

"I understand that you're a coward," Sakura growled and threw open the door despite her teacher's loud protests. She understood the risk she was taking, but she wasn't about to let Sasuke die. Even if there wasn't much she could do, she could at least be there for him so he wouldn't be alone. She was a doctor. This was her duty, even if her own teacher seemed to have forgotten that.

She grabbed a surgical mask from the shelf by the door and put it on before washing her hands thoroughly. The single hazmat suit that had been stored in the room was no longer there. Tsunade must have taken it to be chemically treated after she wore it. But Sakura didn't care. At the risk of exposing herself, she stepped into the room and approached Sasuke's bed with Tsunade's shouts echoing behind her.

"Don't think you're leaving that room any time soon, Haruno! You're officially under quarantine!" Tsunade smacked her hand against the glass to get Sakura's attention. "Do you hear me? This is the most reckless thing you've ever done!"

Sakura glanced behind her, taking in the sight of her teacher seething with anger. "I hear you," she said simply.

Sasuke didn't stir as Sakura placed a hand on his burning forehead. No wonder he's unconscious, she thought, biting her lip. Gently, she brushed a finger over his eyelid and pulled it up. Her heart sank when she saw the white of his eye tinged with an ugly yellow and laced with angry red veins. She let his eyelid fall back into place and looked over at Tsunade, standing at the window with her arms crossed expectantly.

"No need to wait for the results," Sakura said, her tone defeated. "It's yellow fever."

Although Tsunade was still visibly angry, her features softened slightly. "How bad does it look?"

Sakura looked down at Sasuke again and placed a hand on his chest, counting his heartbeats. She shook her head. It was far too slow for her liking. "Yellow eyes, high fever, slow heart rate," she glanced up at the window, genuinely fearful. "He's entering the toxic phase."

"Sakura," Tsunade began with a sigh.

"I need antipyretics and ice," Sakura interrupted. "Bring me plenty of towels, more IV refills, and some broth. I'm going to get this fever down and he needs his strength."

Sighing in defeat, Tsunade turned to stop a passing nurse and give her Sakura's requests. After the nurse had scurried off, she turned her attention back to her student. "Look, since you're in there you might as well care for him, but you need to take care of yourself too. If you notice that you're developing any of the symptoms-."

"Don't worry about me," Sakura cut her off. "I know how dangerous this is, but I'm not going to just stand around and do nothing like you."

"Sakura, I am trying to keep this from spreading," Tsunade scolded. "You're the one who's being reckless here."

Ino approached with the lab results, a deep frown etched on her features, but Tsunade held up a hand to stop her before she could speak.

"We already know," she informed Ino.

"How did you know?" Ino asked. She glanced through the window and gasped when she saw Sakura. "Are you crazy?! What are you doing in there?"

"I'm trying to help him," Sakura said defensively. "No one else was."

"Enough, Sakura," Tsunade said. "We're getting you your supplies. Page the nurses whenever you need something. You've won on this, okay?"

"Do you realize the danger you're putting yourself in?" Ino cried. "This is a serious disease with no cure!"

"I don't care," Sakura informed her calmly. "Someone has to at least try to take care of him. Tsunade was going to leave him in here to die."

"I most certainly was not," Tsunade growled defensively.

"Whatever," Sakura replied and looked back down at Sasuke. His breathing was shallow. She wondered how long he had been sick, how long he had stubbornly pushed though, before finally collapsing. Yellow fever could take months to recover from depending on the severity of the disease. "Where are my supplies?"

"We've got them right here," Tsunade said, taking the requested items from a worried-looking nurse. She opened a slot in the door and slid the tray through. "You've been through quarantine training, you know what to do. Don't forget to take care of yourself. I'll be by to check on you every day."

"Be careful, Sakura," Ino said worriedly.

Sakura walked up and took the tray from the slot. "I'll be fine."

"I know you love him," Ino said slowly, "but this is extreme."

"You wouldn't do the same for Sai?" Sakura asked and the question caused Ino to look down at her feet.

"I would," she said quietly after a moment's thought. "I would do it without even thinking about the consequences."

"Then you understand," Sakura said simply and turned her back to the window.

After she added the fever reducer to his IV drip, she cranked up his bed slowly until he was in a sitting position. He didn't stir despite the movement. She wet a small towel with the icy water and placed it against his forehead, eliciting a weak shiver from him. She sighed in relief. At least he was reacting to something.

She picked up the bowl of lukewarm miso broth and placed her other hand on the back of his head, helping him to hold steady as she pressed the bowl to his cracked lips. She tilted the bowl slightly, letting a small amount of liquid into his mouth. His eyes cracked open at this and he swallowed thickly.

"Good," Sakura whispered, tilting the bowl again.

His eyes moved dazedly until he caught sight of her familiar pink hair and she gave him a gentle, reassuring smile. "You're in the hospital now," she said, unsure if he was actually registering what she was saying. "Don't worry; I'm going to take care of you." His eyes closed again and she gave him another small taste of broth. "You're going to be okay, Sasuke."

 **/When inspiration strikes, write! I haven't done much drama writing before, so I hope this turns out okay. I really like this idea so far, and I hope you enjoy it too!**


	2. Chapter 2

**/Vomit warning for those who are squeamish. This chapter didn't turn out as long as I hoped it would, but I'm really happy with it. Enjoy!**

 _Chapter Two_

When the broth bowl was empty Sakura set it aside and began wiping the sweat from Sasuke's brow. His hair was damp and she brushed it away from his face with the cold cloth. His unresponsiveness was concerning, and she looked down at him worriedly as she cleaned his face. She guessed that he had been sick for a week at least, judging by his sunken cheeks and the yellowing of his eyes.

"Why didn't you come for help sooner?" she muttered to herself as she moved the cloth to clean his neck. He was absolutely drenched and she was worried the fluid he was getting from his IV wouldn't be enough to replace what had been depleted. "You're always so stubborn," she continued. "And look what it gets you."

After she had thoroughly wiped down all exposed skin, she lowered his bed back down so he could lay flat and pulled up a chair to sit beside him. She knew she was in for a long night of worrying and keeping a close eye out for any changes in Sasuke's condition, so she called a nurse and asked her to bring some instant noodles and coffee to the room.

There was a small kitchenette area near the bathroom and she was pleased to discover it was stocked with plates, cups, a microwave, and an induction heater for cooking. There was a small refrigerator as well and Sakura realized that if she asked someone to bring her supplies, she could make proper meals for herself and Sasuke when he was able to eat solid food.

As darkness fell she sat beside him for a while, her hand cupping his gently, running her thumb over his smooth skin. He had yet to hold her hand. They had yet to truly be in a relationship, either. Although she knew his feelings for her were real, they had agreed to wait until he felt his debt had been made up to Konoha. She knew it would probably be a long time, but she was willing to wait for him.

After a while, her eyes grew heavy with the need to sleep. She lifted her hand from his, careful not to disturb him, and moved to the vacant hospital bed next to his. She knew sleep wouldn't come easy, but for her own sake she needed to rest.

She dozed lightly, fading in and out of a dreamless sleep. In the darkest hours of the night, she was awoken by a faint rattling and she sat up slowly, groggy and confused as she tried to place to the sound. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and, suddenly remembering where she was and why, bolted out of bed.

Sasuke was shaking violently, his teeth rattling together with chills. Frantic, Sakura ran to his side and placed a hand on his forehead, trying to gauge his temperature despite the shaking. His fever was still far too high for her liking, and it seemed the fever reducer she had been administrating every four hours was not doing its job.

She tucked his covers around him tightly, trying to reduce his hard shaking. A heated blanket would only worsen his fever, and trying to use cold cloths to reduce the fever would only make his chills stronger. Besides, the chills were not her main concern. She had reviewed the symptoms of yellow fever as she tried to sleep and she knew there were worse things to come.

A small, strangled noise came from deep within Sasuke's throat and, acting quickly, Sakura cranked his bed up into a sitting position and grabbed the plastic bedpan from under his bed. She used her free arm to wrap tightly around his shoulders and the other to hold the pan under his chin.

The sound came from his throat again and she caught the black bile that exploded from his mouth in the pan. He coughed, gasping, choking, vomit spraying from his lips.

Sakura held him closer, holding the pan steady as it became heavy. "Sasuke," she muttered, squeezing his shoulder. As a doctor, dealing with this sort of thing didn't faze her, but the sheer amount of bile was concerning. In the dark, it appeared to be black, a typical symptom of the fever, but she feared there may be blood in the mix which would indicate the disease was far more severe than she thought.

The force of his choking brought him into semi-consciousness and his eyes found hers, locking onto them with a cold, hard stare.

She gasped. "Sasuke?"

"Get out!" he bellowed, forcefully shoving her away from him. The pan came clattering to the floor, spilling over, as Sakura stumbled backward from his sudden strength. "Leave!" he shouted again before gagging again powerfully.

Sakura stood, stunned, as she stared at him. Somehow, his sharingan had activated. She could see the glowing red orb spinning wildly in the darkness. She frowned and took a step closer, reaching to remove the bile-covered sheets from the bed. "Sasuke, let me help you," she said.

"Get out of here!" His voice cut harshly through the still night and Sakura realized he was not looking at her but _through_ her. Hallucinations caused by high fever were not uncommon for victims of yellow fever. She wondered who he was seeing.

"Sasuke, it's me!" Sakura cried, gripping his shoulders tightly. "Look at me, please. Look at me."

He was nearly gasping for air, his chest hitching in uneven, jerking motions. Slowly, his sharingan faded to coal black and his breathing returned to normal as he caught her eye. She held his gaze for what felt like hours, waiting for him to be fully calm. He stared at her, eyes wide, mouth slightly open, as he struggled to breathe normally. She shushed him gently, placing her hand against his cheek. It was burning.

Sakura knew he wasn't fully aware of where he was or what was happening. The look of confusion on his face concerned her. It wasn't safe to have a fever so high for so long.

After a while, he closed his eyes and she delicately laid his head back against the pillow. Her heart was still pounding rapidly in her chest from the adrenaline. She had never seen someone become so violently ill before and she bit her lip as she glanced around the dark room. She had a lot of cleaning up to do. She would need to request more towels when she was done.

First things first, she decided, she needed to clean Sasuke up first. After all, he was the patient. She glanced down at her own bile-stained clothes and cringed.

Flipping the lights on, she gasped as she saw the true extent of the mess. The pan sat in the corner, surrounded by spillage which had splattered all over the floor and the walls. Sasuke's shirt and sheets were also covered in the substance, which she could now see was a dark black. Old blood. It was all blood. She was going to have to start watching his kidneys more closely. If they remained intact through this, he could still make it through. However, if they failed…

Tears pricked her eyes as she stripped the top sheet from Sasuke's bed as carefully as she could. He stirred at the loss of warmth and Sakura froze in place, unmoving as his eyes cracked open.

He caught sight of her, squinting against the harsh fluorescent lights to see her better. "Sakura," he croaked slowly, eliciting a hard cough. "What's happening?"

Her pounding heart skipped a beat. He was conscious and aware. It was probably only temporary for the time being, but it was something. "You're all right, Sasuke," she comforted. She pulled the sheets completely off the bed, thankful that none of the mess had gotten on the rest of the bedding, and sat beside him. "You're really sick, you know that? But I'm taking care of you."

His eyes closed and he turned his head to the side. "The lights…"

"Sorry," she whispered and leaned over to turn them off. She could clean in the dark. The sun would be rising soon anyway. "Can I get you some water?"

He gave one small nod, keeping his eyes closed.

"All right," she said, "but you need to change your shirt first."

At any other time, Sasuke would have simply insisted on completing the simple task on his own. Even when he was learning to adjust to life with only one arm, he had insisted upon doing everyday tasks without the help of others. But that night, he didn't make as sound as Sakura lifted his shirt up. He shifted slightly, weakly, so she could pull it over his head, but he did not protest. She wiped his face, chest, and arms off with a cool, damp cloth and a little soap and helped him change into one of the plain cotton t-shirts Tsunade had kindly provided.

Once he was cleaned up, she got the glass of water and held it to his lips so he could drink. He didn't seem to mind. In fact, he made no effort to even raise his arm. The fever had weakened him to a point where he could not do much more than swallow.

He drank about half the glass before turning his head away and Sakura sighed in relief. It wasn't much, but it was something. She had changed his IV bag twice already, so she knew he was at least hydrated. It would definitely help in keeping his kidneys functioning.

"You really scared me earlier. Now rest," Sakura commanded softly. "If you want, tomorrow, you can have a little broth again. You need to keep your strength up."

His only response was the low, even breaths of sleep. Smiling lightly, Sakura brushed his hair back and placed a cool cloth on his forehead. In all of her readings about yellow fever, she learned that vomiting blood was, in most cases, the "peak" of the toxic phase. He needed to recover from the blood loss, but she found herself hoping that this meant he might just pull through. If he followed the general steps of the disease, he should be starting to recover slowly but surely. He would still require a lot of care; it could take over a month for him to regain his strength, and she knew Tsunade would keep them both under quarantine until every sign of the disease was gone, but she had hope.

She just hoped she wouldn't start to show signs of the disease. The incubation period for yellow fever was six days, and as long as Sasuke still had a fever, he was contagious. She could pick up the disease from him at any time, and it could be a week before she would start showing symptoms. She prayed her immune system was strong enough to pull her through this.

With the first morning light trickling through the curtained windows and Sasuke sleeping soundly, Sakura began to clean up the horror from the night.


	3. Chapter 3

**So sorry for the wait! I've been quite busy lately. Once again, I'm not too happy with how short this chapter turned out to be, but I felt it was a good place to end it. Please enjoy! I'll be updating again soon!**

Chapter Three

Morning came like a breath of fresh air, and the sounds of the bustling hospital preparing for another day brought great comfort to Sakura as she dropped the last of the soiled towels into the laundry chute. She would need to request more so she could shower. She had changed into one of the white cotton t-shirts and pants Tsunade had provided, but she desperately needed to shower, and she needed to take advantage of Sasuke sleeping to do it.

As promised, the former hokage appeared at the window before starting her morning rounds with her arms crossed and a stern expression on her painted lips. "How did the night go?" she asked as Sakura approached.

Her student frowned and glanced back at Sasuke, watching his chest rise and fall for a moment. "He vomited an alarming amount of blood, but he seems to be doing okay for now. I need more towels and some broth for when he wakes up."

Tsunade sighed, closing her eyes for a moment. "I had a feeling something like that may happen."

"I need a blood kit to test for kidney function," Sakura added. "I'm keeping him hydrated but with this fever, I can't be too careful. I'd like to test him daily until he's fully recovered."

"Right," Tsunade agreed solemnly. "You'll get your kits, and I'll run to the lab myself." She looked her student up and down. "You look exhausted."

"I didn't sleep much," Sakura admitted. "I had a lot to clean up. Tsunade, he was hallucinating for a while. I'm not sure what he was seeing, but he was so angry." She looked down at her feet, eyes heavy with exhaustion as she recalled his hoarse, booming voice shattering the still night.

Tsunade shook her head slowly and looked behind Sakura to Sasuke. "With all that boy's been through, who knows what he saw. Whatever he said, don't take it to heart. He won't remember it anyway. Did he become conscious at all?"

"Briefly," Sakura confirmed. "I told him where he was and he drank a little water. He's been sleeping ever since."

"Well that's to be expected," Tsunade said with little sympathy. "He should be sleeping a lot to fight this thing off, and should be too to keep your immune system up."

"I know," Sakura said. "I'll get some sleep after I shower and get him to drink a little broth. He may be able to hold it down now."

"It's worth a try, I suppose," Tsunade replied and motioned for a nurse to give her some of the fresh towels she was carrying. "I'll get the broth to you soon. Ino's going to come by sometime this afternoon. She's really worried about you."

Sakura took the towels as they were passed through the slot in the door. "I'm sure she is. Tell her I'm fine." She locked eyes with her teacher. "Ino doesn't need to know about what happened last night."

"No, she doesn't," Tsunade agreed. "She's worrying herself sick already. You get cleaned up. You've got gunk in your hair."

Sakura cringed. She hadn't had a moment to look at herself in the mirror, but she wasn't surprised to hear that. "Thanks, Tsunade."

"The broth will be here soon," she assured her and walked off to attend to her duties.

Steaming hot water never felt so good to Sakura, and she leaned against the shower wall tiredly, letting it spray across her body. She could nod off right then and there and she wouldn't have minded, but Sasuke needed to eat and she needed to sleep close to him so she would be woken up if he had another episode. Or if he woke up and was aware. She desperately hoped that would happen, but given the state of his fever, she knew it would be unlikely for another day or two. Sighing, she stepped out of the shower and dried herself off.

As promised, the broth was waiting for her in the door slot, still hot, along with a blood testing kit.

Sasuke laid still, his cheeks a bright, flaring red. Concerned, Sakura set the broth on his bedside table and checked his temperature again. She was pleased to see that it had dropped a little, but it was still too high for her liking. He stirred at the touch of the thermometer and he opened his eyes half-way as Sakura raised the bed into a sitting position so he could eat.

"Sasuke?" she asked, watching him carefully. She feared another flare-up of hallucinations, but his tired gaze remained calm and his head drooped forward slightly with a need to sleep. His muscles were weakening – another common symptom – and it could take months for him to regain full physical function.

He grunted lowly in acknowledgment to her voice, his eyes shifting to meet her gaze.

She sighed in relief and reached a hesitant hand up to brush his hair out of his eyes. He didn't flinch away from her touch. "I have some broth for you. Try to drink a little, okay?"

He gave a slight nod and cleared his throat, his voice hoarse. "Sakura, what happened?"

"You're very sick, Sasuke," Sakura explained as she took the bowl and held a spoonful to his lips. "You came here yesterday barely alive."

He made a low humming sound in response and sipped the broth as Sakura gave it to him. When the bowl was empty, he laid his head back against the pillow and closed his eyes.

"Hey," Sakura said quietly, placing a hand on his wrist, "how do you feel?"

He stayed quiet for so long that Sakura was certain he had fallen asleep again, but finally he whispered a soft, "Tired."

"That's to be expected," Sakura said sympathetically. She took the blood kit and put on a pair of latex gloves. "I need to draw some blood, and then you can sleep all you want," she explained.

He turned his head to look at her, his yellowed eyes hazy. "All right."

She drew his blood as quickly as she could and once the container was capped and sealed, she pressed the call button for a nurse. Sasuke was once again breathing deeply and evenly as he slept, undisturbed by the sharp prick of the needle.

There was a knock on the window, and Sakura turned her head to see Ino standing there with an expectant and impatient look on her face.

"I called for a nurse," Sakura said as she approached the window.

"What's happening with Sasuke?" Ino demanded.

"He's a little better today," Sakura said simply, shifting her gaze away from her overbearing stare.

"How did the night go?" she pressed.

Sakura could never lie to her friend, but she decided she could at least spare her the details and push for a change of subject. "It was a little rough but he got through it. Could you take this blood down the lab?"

"What's it for?" Ino asked skeptically.

"I'm watching his kidney function. As long as it stays in the normal range, he has a good chance of recovering," she explained. "I'm going to be checking it every day for a while."

"Then I'll be coming to take the samples every morning," Ino informed her as she took the container through the slot. "We're in this together and I do not trust any nurse with Sasuke's blood."

A small smile touched Sakura's lips. "Thanks, Ino. It means a lot."

She nodded. "I'll put a rush on this. Don't worry."

A half hour later, the results came back revealing that Sasuke still had normal kidney function, and Sakura could breathe easy for a while.


	4. Chapter 4

**Sorry it took so long for the update. I went home for winter break and left my laptop behind to enjoy the holidays with my family and friends. Anyway, hope you enjoy the final chapter!**

Chapter Four

Days passed and time began to lose all meaning. Sakura couldn't remember if she had been stuck in the quarantine room for three days or five. Sasuke slept most of the time, waking only to sip at the broth Sakura held to his lips. He had not vomited since the first night, and his kidney function continued to remain good. Not perfect, but not dangerous, and for that, Sakura was grateful.

Tsunade continued to visit her each morning and chat for a few minutes. Ino would stop by a few times a day to catch her up on hospital gossip and drop off some reading materials to keep Sakura entertained while Sasuke slept. She would read aloud to Sasuke from time to time, just to hear own voice and keep her sanity. The room was like a vacuum, devoid of any sound, cut off from the rest of the world in total isolation.

On the morning of the fifth day – or was it the sixth? – Sakura awoke to bright sunlight streaming through the blinds and washing the sterile white linoleum in hot, streaky light. A sound had pulled her from a dreamless sleep and her eyes fluttered open at the disturbance. In her half-awakened state, she observed Sasuke sitting up, leaning forward, his hand pressed against his forehead. It took her a moment to register what she was seeing, and she shot up, nearly falling out of her cot as she bolted to her feet.

"Sasuke, are you okay?" she asked, unaware of how frantic she sounded as she went to his bedside.

He turned to look at her, his yellowed eyes drooping but alert. He wasn't as pale, and before he could respond to her question, Sakura's hand was placed firmly against his forehead to check his fever.

"Your fever's gone," she said, amazed. It had still been fairly high when she had checked before she went to bed the night before.

He took her wrist, pulling her hand away from him. "What happened?" he asked slowly. "It's a haze…"

"You've been here about a week," Sakura explained gently. "Some ANBU found you on the side of the path outside of the village. You were so sick…"

"I was coming to Konoha, to the hospital," Sasuke recalled, "but then…"

"You've been really sick, Sasuke," Sakura said, taking his hand. "How do you feel?"

He coughed deeply, turning his head away from her but making no effort to remove his hand from hers. "I suppose I've felt better."

She laughed lightly. "You're certainly better than you have been. You really had me scared."

He noticed the cot and her mussed hair from sleep. "Have you been staying here this whole time?"

"Well," she glanced away sheepishly, "I haven't really had a choice."

He paused. "What do you mean?"

"Sasuke," she hesitated slightly, "this is the quarantine room. I…well, I volunteered to take care of you. Since I was exposed to you, I was technically quarantined as well."

He looked down at his lap, an expression of guilt on his pallid features. "What do I have?"

She looked down at their hands, still holding loosely together. "Yellow fever. It's been pretty bad. You've barely been conscious."

"And what happens if you get it, too?" he asked.

"Well, I would be quarantined until the fever passes," she explained calmly. "But I'm okay. I've been feeling okay this whole time." She resisted adding _for now_ , not wanting to worry him. "Besides, you shouldn't worry about me. How are you feeling? Are you hungry?"

He watched her levelly then sighed and turned his eyes towards the kitchen area. "I could eat, I suppose."

Sakura stood, brushing her hands against her pants. "I'll get you something then. You've been sipping broth for the past few days. Do you think you can manage some bread?"

"Yes," he said with a nod. He watched her carefully as she put some broth on the induction heater to boil and retrieved a slice of bread from the cupboard. She added a small amount of butter to it for flavor and carried everything over to him on a tray. "You've really been doing this for all this time?"

"Well, yes," she said, setting the tray in front of him, "but Ino and Tsunade have been keeping me company." She nearly jumped as she suddenly remembered something important. "Oh, I should tell Tsunade you're awake!" She pressed the call button by Sasuke's bed and smiled. "She'll be thrilled. You really worried all of us, you know."

He nibbled at the bread, finding himself hungry enough to eat but far from starving. "I'm sorry I worried you."

She smiled lightly and sat on the cot across from him. "I was more worried about you out there travelling, not knowing where you were or if you were safe."

He paused, appearing to examine his bread for a moment. "I suppose I can't let something like this happen again."

"No, you can't," Sakura agreed quickly. "You need to communicate with us more so we know where you are. That way, if we suspect something is wrong we can find-."

"Or you could join me," he interrupted, earning a shocked look from Sakura. "You mentioned you wanted to before. If you're still interested…"

"Oh, Sasuke," she started, nearly breathless by his sudden offer. But before she could give him an answer, she was startled by a knock at the door and Tsunade excitedly calling out to her.

"Is he awake?" she called loudly, her voice echoing in the chamber of the room.

Sakura got up and rushed to the window, leaving Sasuke to finish eating in peace. "He's awake," she confirmed, "for good this time. His fever is broken and he's eating." She couldn't hide the grin from erupted on her face. "He's going to be fine, Tsunade. He's going to be just a fine."

Tsunade nodded, unable to hide a smile of her own. "I'm happy to hear that. It'll take a few weeks for him to regain his strength, but I'm sure he won't mind hunkering down in the village until then."

Sakura nodded in agreement. "I'll let him know." She thought it would be best to not tell Tsunade about her sudden plans to travel with Sasuke just yet, and instead asked, "When can he leave quarantine?"

"Tomorrow, as long as the fever stays away," Tsunade informed her student.

Sakura paused. "What about me? Since I've been exposed, I could still technically…"

"Well, I have some good news for you there," Tsunade cut in with a soft smile. "We're not too familiar with yellow fever in this part of the world, so I did some research while you were stuck in there. It turns out the fever is most often transmitted only by mosquito bites. There's a very small chance of you catching it from Sasuke, and since the chances are so low, I'm going to pull some strings and get you out of there tomorrow as well."

Sakura brightened at this. In all of her research, she realized she had been focusing so much on treatment that she never brushed up on transmission. "That's great. I thought I might go crazy being stuck in here much longer."

Tsunade shook her head. "I wouldn't let that happen. I'll start pushing the release papers this afternoon. But, Sakura, if you start feeling sick at all, you hightail it here. Understand?"

She nodded, understanding the seriousness of the situation. "Yes, of course."

"Good." Tsunade gave a nod behind Sakura's shoulder and motioned to Sasuke. "Go tell him the news. I'm sure he doesn't want to be cooped up in here anymore than you do."

"I will," Sakura said with an eager nod. "Thank you, Tsunade. Thank you so much."

"Of course," Tsunade said and waved her back towards Sasuke.

Sakura rushed back to his side and sat back down on her cot. "You can leave tomorrow. We both can."

Sasuke nodded and set the empty broth bowl aside. "How long until I can leave the village again?"

"Well," Sakura hesitated, "it will take a few weeks, maybe even a month or two, for you to regain your strength. You'll have to stay in the village until completely back to normal. You can't push yourself."

He frowned, but let out a sigh after a moment, knowing she wouldn't let him argue his way out of this. "All right."

Sakura hesitated and glanced down at her lap, a slight blush forming on her cheeks. "Once you've regained your strength, is it really okay if I join you on your travels?" she asked quietly.

Sasuke raised his eyes and watched her until her eyes met his. "I asked you to come, didn't I?"

A beaming smile broke out on her face. "Yes, you did."

"You'll come?" he asked, almost sounding earnest to her.

"Yes, Sasuke," she said and reached over to take his hand. "I'll come."

He nodded and gave her hand the faintest of squeezes. "Thank you for caring for me. It must have been a lot to take on." She opened her mouth to say something but he caught her gaze, holding it with a look of gratefulness. "Thank you for everything."

 **Hope you enjoyed this short little story I was randomly inspired to write. I'll admit I've kind of lost my luster for this one, so instead of forcing myself to continue on, I thought this would be a good place to end. Let me know what you think, and I'll hopefully see you all in future fics! -WW08**


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